The French-owned company says it is keen to attract more non-cruisers, citing advisors – who currently represent 85% of its business – as key to achieving this goal. 

Last week, Ponant invited a small group of UK agents onto Le Bellot in London for a half-day visit – featuring a product presentation, a full ship tour and a sit-down lunch in its panoramic restaurant, Le Nautilus. Agents also had a chance to meet the operator’s trade sales team and to learn about its "new packaging arm".  

Several agents who joined the ship visit hadn’t been on a cruise vessel before, let alone a Ponant one. 

“It’s really great to see these new [UK and Irish] agents,” Anthony Daniels, General Manager for the UK and Ireland at Ponant, told TTG. “When they come onboard, they say, ‘Ah, I get it now.’” They can touch, see, feel it. The more new agents we can host, the better.”

Ponant is also investing in its fam trip programme for UK agents, with a focus on individual stays rather than structured group tours. 

“We’re a small team, so it’s not always logistically possible to host [traditional] fam trips,” Daniels admitted. “So instead, we often secure five cabins on a sailing – be it Iceland, Svalbard or wherever we need more people to see – and then allocate them to the agents.

“I want to reiterate – these trips are not just for our loyal, top agents. Of course, they will be part of it, but we also want those who have never sailed with us before.” 

Last April, Ponant told TTG that it was determined to increase its visibility in the UK market and improve the experience onboard for British and Irish clients. 

Twelve months on, this goal has proven difficult to achieve. 

“The UK's growing each year from a revenue point of view, but I absolutely know we can produce more than we are doing,” said Daniels. “It has been a challenge. We're not one of the big markets for Ponant at the moment, so when you look at it from an internal point of view, obviously we prioritise the big markets [like France and North America] which are already developed and driving significant sales.” 

Another barrier to growth in the UK market is its “complexity”, according to Daniels. He contends that while matching loyalty statuses helps, it isn’t a silver bullet for establishing the brand among British and Irish clients. 

“There are so many competitors here in the UK,” he said. “It’s not as simple as, ‘Okay, we're good in our own country, so we can just transfer that'.” 

Ponant is instead focusing on its exclusive destinations to differentiate itself to UK agents. 

The line is currently the only operator that sails directly to the North Pole, making it appealing to luxury travellers who choose expeditions above all else. 

“It’s all about those new agents who have clients that don't even class themselves as cruisers,” Daniels said. “It’s for the clients who want ‘luxury exploring'.’ They may have already done a high-end safari, or toured Antarctica. But we’re offering more – Greenland, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia. And we want them to know, this is the best way to visit these places.”